The best dog rescues in Plymouth, compared

At 204 Merafield Road, Plympton. Gables has every dog's temperament assessed by a qualified dog behaviourist to judge the kind of home it needs, and rehomes only in Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, to people over 21. You fill in its adoption application for a dog you like, or as a general application; its rehoming team calls you if it has a potential match, and otherwise keeps your details for 3 months. It doesn't advertise all its puppies, so it keeps a puppy waiting list.

If there is a match, everyone in the household comes in to meet the dog, a dog you already have meets it on neutral ground at Gables, and the team then brings the dog to your home for a home visit. Viewing is by appointment once you are matched. Its fee is £150 for a crossbreed dog and £200 for a crossbreed puppy, with pedigree prices varying, and includes the behavioural assessment, neutering, a vet health check, a microchip, vaccination, flea and worm prevention and a collar and lead.

At Elfordleigh, Plympton. It homes to Plymouth and areas within about 25 miles, and visits every home before a dog goes; it won't rehome a dog to a property with no garden or a communal one, and the garden must be fully enclosed with fencing suitable for the dog, on average 6ft. It says it takes each home on its merits rather than refusing older owners or families with young children outright, carries out post-adoption checks, and always takes its animals back if things don't work out.

A national German Shepherd charity, which also lists Malinois and Dutch Shepherds, with its registered office at Kelly Bray, near Callington, about 12 miles from Plymouth. When we checked on 28 October 2026 most of the shepherd-type dogs listed with us near Plymouth were its dogs, filed at Callington: see our German Shepherd Rescue Elite page and our Plymouth German Shepherd page, and contact the charity about its process and donation.

Its Wingletang centre is near Tavistock in West Devon, about 15 miles north; the charity's other two centres are in Dorset. Its fee is discussed with you when you reserve an animal, and it covers neutering, vaccinations, worming and flea treatment, health checks and microchipping.

At Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot, about 23 miles east, and not the Salford charity of a similar name. You apply with the "Apply to rehome me" button on a dog's page; if you match, you meet the dog on a series of walks, it meets your family and any dogs you have, and an assessment interview follows. Its kennels are open by appointment only, its reception daily from 10am to 4pm, and it keeps general applications for 3 months.